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Major General Daniel Denison
chr.18 Oct 1612 Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England
d.20 Sep 1682 Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts
Family tree▼ (edit)
m. 7 Nov 1603
(edit)
m. 1 Oct 1632
Facts and Events
[edit] OriginsHe was baptized in Bishops-Stortford, Hertfordshire, in 1612 He attended and received an AB from Cambridge University in 1629, remaining there awhile, until his father recalled him for emigrating with the family to New England in 1631. They may have travelled on the LION. [edit] Life in New EnglandWithin a year of arriving with his parents and brothers, he removed from Roxbury to Newtown (Cambridge) in 1632, his name being among the list of first settlers and church members. 1 Oct 1632: married Patience, the daughter of Gov. Thomas Dudley, who was at this time a resident of the place. 1 Apr 1634 Made freem and was granted by the legislature 200 acres of land above the falls, on the eastern side of Charles River. By 1635, removed to Ipswich. He sustained several offices in the town and was feoffee of the Grammar School ("Ipswich School," NEHGR 6:64). He was Representative to the General Court from 1635 to 1640, 1644, 1648, 1649, 1651, 1652, and Secretary of the Colony 1653, in the absence of Edward Rawson. He was speaker of the House 1649 and 1652, long a Justice of the Quarterly Court, Assistant from 1654 to 1682, Reserve Commissioner of the United Colonies 1658, and Commissioner of the same 1654, 1655, 1656, 1657, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1662. On 19 January 1641, Humphrey Griffing bought a house and two acres of land near the mill at Labor-in-vain and a planting lot at Heartbreak Hill near Ipswich, Mass. from Daniel Denison. The deed was witnessed by Robert Andrews. 1654, May 3d. He is of a committee to prepare all former laws, both printed and written, with an index, so that they may be printed in one book. June 9th. He is appointed with others to write to Oliver Cromwell. 1655, Nov. 13th. He is on a committee of trade for Essex county. He is among the commissioners of the United Colonies, who thus address the Government of Rhode Island: "We suppose you have understood, that the last year a company of Quakers arrived at Boston, upon no other account than to dispense their pernicious opinions;" and they desire them not to encourage the Quakers as they had begun. 1658, Oct. 19th. He had revised and corrected the colony laws, which are to be immediately printed. He is granted one quarter of Block Island, "for his great pains in transcribing the laws." 1662, July 2d. He had six hundred acres, which were assigned to him, Oct. 1660, beyond Merrimack, laid out, beginning "at the upper end of an Island over against Old Will’s wigwam." — 1664, May 18th. He is one of the commissioners on a difficulty between Rhode Island and Massachusetts about Southertown. — 16 June 1664, on order of the United Colonies, Daniel Denison and Daniel Gookin laid out 2,000 acres at Cossaduck Hill for use of the Pequots. 1666, Sept. 19th. As the Legislature did not answer the King according to the petition of Ipswich and other towns, he enters his dissent, because, as he thought, their reply did not give due satisfaction to His Majesty nor tend to the preservation of peace and liberty in the colony. 1671, May 31st. He is appointed to keep a Court at Hampton and Salisbury. He was called several times to perform service like this out of Ipswich Court Jurisdiction. 1677, March 29th. He is one of the colony licensers, who give Wm. Hubbard leave to publish his "Present State of New England." May 23d. He is one of three to grant permits for Indians to carry guns. [edit] Military ServiceHe was of the Artillery Company, and chosen by the Legislature Major-General of the Colony 1653, 1656, 1659, 1660, 1662, 1674, 1675, 1676, 1678, 1679, 1680. He also held this office 1652, in the absence of General Robert Sedgwick. 1643, May 10th. He is on a committee to put the country in a posture of defence. 1646, May. He is of commissioners to treat with D’Aulnay at Penobscot. 1653, May 18th. He is connected with Deputy-Governor Symonds at this date, and, June 2d, in proceedings relative to war with the Dutch and to the rights of the colony. 1657, Sept. He receives instructions from the commissioners of the United Colonies, to go with two others and require Ninigrett, the Niantick Sachem, to forbear hostility against the people of Uncas. 1672, Aug. 19th. He had made preparation, as General, to resist the Indians, who had crossed the Merrimack. 1673: The capture of New York by the Dutch created an alarm among the English colonies, lest their dominions might also be invaded. Accordingly the federal commissioners met at Hartford, and recommended to the general court of each of the colonies, to provide means of defence... “that for the defence against the Dutch in case of their appearance before the harbour, endeavors be used to get the three principal ports in order... That the Major of Essex Regiment, Daniel Denison, Esq., shall and is hereby impowered and required to send relief into Salem and Marblehead.” 1675, Oct. The Assistants write to him, encouraging his efforts to raise forces for attacking the Indians in their quarters. He is instructed to secure suspected Indians at Wamesick and about Chelmsford. 1676, Feb. He is required to repair to Marlborough and order the troops thither. May 3d. He is to superintend, the last of this month, the forces there. Aug. 6th. He writes to the Assistants, that great alarm prevailed in this part of Essex, because the enemy had passed the Merrimack. Sept. 26th. Richard Martyn of Portsmouth informs him that the Indians were destroying property and lives at Casco Bay, that a few of the enemy were killed and taken, that the English were much in want of bread, and that more soldiers were greatly needed at Wells and York. Oct. 11th. General Dennison is ordered to Portsmouth to take command of the eastern expedition. [edit] LegacyHe died 19 Sept 1682, age 70 of "strangury"; his wife died 8 Feb 1690. His daughter Elizabeth married John Rogers, president of Harvard College. His son John died young after marrying and having three children. See Daniel's letter to his grandchildren. He left a will written 18 July 1673, with codicil 28 Feb 1679 and 22 Dec 1690. To this daughter he bequeathed five hundred acres of land. See NEHGR VIII:23. He left a book at his decease, called "Irenicon, or Salve for New England’s Sore," printed in 1684. In this work he considered, "1. What are our present maladies? 2. What might be the occasion thereof; 3. The danger; 4. The blamable cause; 5. The cure." The Rev. Wm. Hubbard preached a sermon at General Dennison’s interment, which was printed with his "Irenicon"; and in which it is justly remarked, "The greater is our sorrow, who are now met together to solemnize the funeral of a person of so great worth, enriched with so many excellencies, which made him live neither undesired nor unlamented, nor go to the grave unobserved." From Note on the Death of Jonathan Wade, The Register, Vol. 160, p. 198: A letter that John Rogers of Ipswich wrot to Joseph Dudley ... dated Boston 16. 6. 83 [16 August 1683] ... described the damage an epidemic (most likely small pox) had done in Ipswich:
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